Perforating machine



3 Sheets-Sheet 1 April 7, 1931. P. R. GLASS PERFORATING MACHINE Filed April 15, 1927 April 7, 1931. P. R. GLASS PERFORATING MACHINE Filed April 15, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 7, 1931. P. R. GLASS 1,799,615

PERFORATING MACHINE Filed April 15, 192'? 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 lizing a thin narrow strip ofsoft metal, such f clutch. As illustrated, upon release of the Patented Apr. 7, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE] PEBLEY R. GLASS, OF WAYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOZR TO UNITED SHOE MA- CHINERY CORPORATION, OF IPATEIBSON, NEW JERSEY, A

JERSEY Application filed A ril 15,

This invention relates to perforating machines and is herein illustrated as embodied in a machine designed for perforating parts of boots and shoes for ornamental purposes, the illustrated machine being of the type disclosed in Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,580,132, granted April 13, 1926 upon my application, although in various respects the invention is not limited to embodiment in machines of the type referred to, or to use in performing operations upon boots and shoes.

Machines of the type above mentioned comprise a punch and an anvil between which backing material is interposed to receive the cutting edge of a punch upon relative movement of the punch and anvil to perform perforating operations. For the sake of increased economy in the backing material used to receive the cutting edge of the punch, the invention provides for utias copper, as a backing strip, instead 0 using a paper strip, as has been common heretofore. In the illustrated machine, a narrow strip of sheet copper is clamped in position, between an anvil and a grooved holder provided with overhanging flanges arranged to engage the strip along its lateral edges parallel to the path of feeding movement. Operating means are provided for the holder so that by the manual depression of asuitable lever a piece of backing material may be shifted to another position or may be re- ITIOXGtl and replaced as desired, when, after a considerable interval of time, the surface of the copper strip has been defaced by the punch to a sufficient extent so that a. satisfactory cutting operation may no longer be had.

In order to provide for guiding a work piece with the body of the work lying at either the right or the left of the guiding edge thereof, another important feature of the invention resides in an improved arrangement of work gages in which similar gages are adjustably mounted on opposite sides of the line of feed, the illustrated gages being so supported that they may be turned about inclined axes to move either one to gaging position, the other one being moved to a posi- CORPORATION OF NEW rnnrom'rms mcnmn 1927. Serial No. 184,114.

tion out of the range of a piece of work being presented to the machine.

In the use of such a machine upon shoe parts or other work pieces having both relatively sharply curved portions and other portions which are straight or less sharply curved it is desirable to drive the machine at a slower speed in passing around the more sharply curved portions of the work than when passing along relatively straight portions of the work. \Vith this in View, the driving shaft of the illustrated machine carries driven pulleys, which are of different sizes and therefore are driven at different speeds, and a pin clutch is provided for connecting the slower speed pulley positively to the driving shaft of the machine upon partial depression of the treadle, further depression of the treadle being effective to connect the higher speed pulley to the driving shaft of the machine, whereupon the slower speed pulley is permitted to overrun by Virtue of an interposed Horton treadle, both pulleys are disconnected from the driving shaft, and the driving shaft is stopped at a predetermined point in the cycle of machine operations by the pin clutch mechanism. This starting-and-stopping mecha nism is not claimed herein, however, since it is claimed in my copending application Serial No. 496,313, filed Nov. 17, 1930, which is a division of the present application.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a machine embodying the present invention with parts of the driving mechanism shown in section;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the front end of the machine;

Fig. 3 is an exploded view of the work support and the backing strip clamping mechanism;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a presser foot;

Fig. 5 is a detailed perspective of the lower end of an edge gage arm;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the supporting and adjusting mechanism of the edge gage arm; and

. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the operating parts of a modified form of the machine equipped with an alternative form of work supporting table especially adapted for certaln classes of work and having provision for handling a relatively long strip of backing material.

The perforating machine illustrated in Fig.

1 is of the type employing a four-motion feed punch supported in an over-hanging arm and arranged to feed the work in a path extending away from the'opcrator in line with the overhanging arm. This machine comprises a frame 10 having a forwardly extending lower arm 12 (Fig. 2) for a work support 14 and an overhan ing arm 16 carryin a punch bar 18 provide with a replaceable perforating punch 20. The punch-operating mechanism is constructed as set forth in Letters Patent No. 1,580,132, to which reference has been made above, and, accordingly, the punch bar 18 is carried in a sleeve 22 which is provided with lugs engaging hollow guide rods 24 and 26, mechanism (not shown) being provided for engaging the head of the punch bar 18 in a slot 28 to reciprocate the punch bar toward and away from the work support 14 and other mechanism being provided for moving the sleeve 22 from front to back to give the punch a work-feeding movement. The front end of the overhanging arm 16 is closed by an end plate 30 at the bottom of which there is provided a lug carrying a transverse rod 32 supporting ed e gages 34 and 36.

The con guration of the work may be such that it is more convenient for the operator to present part of a piece of work to a gage lving at the left side of the line of feed of the machine and at another part of the same work, or with a different piece of work, to utilize a gage lying at the right side of the line of feed. The machine is provided, therefore, with the gage arms 34 and 36 designed to be used alternatively, and the arrangement is such that either of these arms may be brought into operative gaging position, or moved to one side into a position out of the way of work being presented to the machine, without changing the adjustment of such gage arms with respect to the line of feed. This enables the operator to move a gage arm to one side and quickly to return it to operative position without readjusting the gage each time this is done. To this end, the gage arm and its supporting mechanism isof the type shown in the prior Patent No. 1,580,132, to which reference has already been made, and in the machine herein illustrated the sup porting mechanism for the gages 34 and 36 comprises a rod 38 which is secured in a bracket 40 clamped by means of a bolt 42 to a reduced portion of the supporting bar 32 (Figs. 1 and 4). A gage block 44 (Fig. 6) is slidably mounted upon the rod 38 and may be clamped in position thereon by means of a clamp screw 46. Means are provided for adjusting said' gage block 44 laterally,

comprising a hand screw 48 threaded in said block and rotatably secured on a reduced portion of the rod 32 by a screw 47. In order to adjust the lateral position of the gage 34 in accordance with the distance of the perforations from the edge of the work, therefore, it is only necessary to release the clamp screw 46 and to operate the hand screw 48 after which the gage block 44 may be again locked in position by the clamp screw 46. The gage block 44 has a bearing inclined downwardly and outwardly away from the line of feed for the reception of a gage stem or spindle 50. This spindle 50 is preferably formed integrally with the gage arm 34 which extends downwardly therefrom. The gage block 44 is split as indicated at 52 and a clamp screw 54 is provided so that the block 44 may also serve as a clamping sleeve to hold the spindle 50 in adjusted position determined laterally by the screw 48 and downwardly by check-nuts 56. In order to smooth out the advancing work the gage arm 34 is provided with a resilient holddown finger 58 having upturned edges 60 so that the work will slide freely beneath it and the pressure of said holddown 58 upon the work or its position with respect to the work support 14 is determined by an adjusting screw 62 threaded in a depending lug formed on the gage arm 34. At its lower end, the gage arm 34 is bent outwardly as indicated at 64 in Fig. 5 and upon the lower surface of the arm 34 there is provided an elongated lug 66 for a purpose which will be later explained.

From this description of the. gage arm 34 and its mounting, the construction and arrangement of the gage arm 36 will be readily understood. The gage block 440 corresponding to the gage block 44 on the other side is so arranged that the inclination of the spindle 500 of the gage 36 is reversed with respect to the plane of the work, said block,

being adjustably positioned by a screw like the screw 48 which is held on the rod 32 by a screw 470. It will also be noted that the holddown finger 580 is attached to the gage arm 36 in such a position that, when said arm is brought into position for engagement with the left-hand edge of the work (viewing it from the operators position facing the machine), said holddown 580 will contact with the work in advance of the gage arm 36 so as to smooth out the work and prevent its catching upon said gage arm.

Thus, when it is desired to move either the gage arm 34 or the gage arm 36 out of operative position, it is only necessary to loosen the clamp screw 54, or the corresponding screw in the block 440, and to swing the gage arm around its corresponding spindle 50- or 500 within-the gage block. Loosening the screw 54 permits the spindle of the gage arm to be raised slightly to elevate the gage arm above the surface of the work support for a purpose 'to be laterexplained. When it is desired to bring the other gage arm into position the procedure is reversed and it will be observed that it is not necessary to disturb the lateral adjustment of the gage-in moving it into or out of operative position.

In order that the work may be held against the work support 14 while the punch 20 is being retracted from the material following a feeding movement, a presser foot is provided which is adjustably supported on the the operator may raise the presser foot to p introduce a piece of work. At the lower end of the presser foot bar 7 2 there is provided a block 78 (Fig. 2) which is clamped thereon by means of a screw 80 and is provided with a horizontal rib 82 (Fig. 7), for engagement in a correspondingly shaped groove 84 (Fig. 4) in a bracket 86 which is held in adjusted position with respect to said block by means of a screw 88 (Fig. 7 passing through a slot in said bracket. An arm 90 (Fig.4) is adjustably engaged with. the lower surface of the bracket 86 by means of a similar rib and groove connection and this arm 90 is employed in turn to support the presser foot 70. It will be observed in Fig. 4 that the presser foot itself is in the form of a U having its slot extending in the direction of the line of feed with the cross bar 92 of the U at the rear of the work support out of the range of the punch 20 in its feeding movement. The U-shaped presser foot is tapered inwardly so as to get a maximum of strength while obscur ing'the vision of the operator as little as possible.

In order that the machine may be used with facility for ring-shaped pieces of work such as closed uppers, the forward end of the lower frame arm 12 is provided with an upright hollow post or box 100 having a removable side 102. Within this hollow box is adjustably positioned a rectangular bar 104 carrying an anvil 106 (Fig. 3) at its upper end. The vertical position of the bar 104 may be adjustably determined by means of a wedge 108 engaging a tapered slot 110 in said bar, said wedge passing through a recess 112 (Fig. 2) in the hollow box 100 and being arranged for adjustment by means of a hand screw 114 threaded in a lug 116 on the removable cover 1.02, said screw being provided with a flange 118 which engages a slot 120 in the side of the wedge 108. Engagement of the upper surface of the wedge 108 with the upper sur face of the groove 110 provides a rigid support for the anvil 106 and a s ring-operated plunger 122 mounted inside t e bar 104 for engagement with the lower surface of the wedge 108 insures the maintenance of contact between said supporting surfaces and helps to prevent the vibration of the machine from varying the adjustment of the screw 114. At its upper end the bar 104 is provided with similar upright grooves 124 upon its 0 osite sides, these grooves being designed or the reception of depending plates 126 secured to the lower side of the work support 14 (Fig. 3)

The work support 14 is provided with an oval-shaped opening 128 to fit over the similarly shaped anvil 106 and is provided with a groove 130 upon its upper surface for the reception of a backing strip 132 (Fig.2) of soft metal, as illustrated, copper. It will be noted thatthe work sup ort 14 is also provided with averhanging f anges 134 upon oposite sides ofthe groove 130 to engage with and hold down the lateral edges of the backing strip 132 so that said strip will be tightly clamped in position between said flanges 134 and the upper surface of the anvil 106 when the work support 14 is depressed by an arrangement about to be described. In order that the strip clamping flanges may be held tightly in engagement with the edges of the strip, a bell crank lever 136 (Fig. 2) is pivotally mounted upon the hollow box 100 by a screw 138 threaded in an opening 139 (Fig. 3). The upper arm 140 of the bell crank 136 is provided with a pin 142 engaging slots 144 in the depending plates 126 and said pin 142 passes freely through a larger opening 146 in the bar 104. The lower end of the bell crank lever 136 is provided with a finger piece 148 and this finger piece is normally urged to the rear by means of a spring, like that shown at 150 in Fig. 7, contained within a boss 152 upon the side of the box 100 which urges a plunger 154 against the bell crank 136, the head of the plunger being arranged to engage the outside of the boss 152.

It will be observed that the upper surface of the work support 14 is provided with transverse grooves 160 and 162, the bottom of which grooves are on the level of the upper surface of the backing strip 132. These grooves are arranged to receive the lugs 66, 66 upon the under side of the gage arms 34 and 36, it being understood that the end sur faces of the lugs 66 are flush with the ends of the arms 34, 36, respectively and that the end surfaces of the lugs and arms together form the work engaging surfaces of the gages. Thus it will be seen that the grooves 160 and 162 provide for the reception of the ends of the gage arms 34 and 36 respectively so that said gage arms may be adjusted laterally along a surface which is flush with the upper surface of the copper backing strip 132 so that there is no danger of'the edge of the work getting under the end of the ga e. When the adjusted position of the gage rings the lug 66 within a slot 160, it is still possible to swing the gage arm 34 to one side without disturbing its adjustment because the spindle 50 may be lifted as well as rotated in its bearing after the clamp screw 54 has been loosened and likewise as to the gage 36.

The machine is provided with a drive shaft 164 having a hand wheel 166 at its left hand end (Fig. 1) and a friction brake 168 so that the machine may be turned over. slowly by hand, for example when it is desired to adjust the punch 20 or the gages 34, 36. In order that the machine may be driven at a relatively slow speed when starting the machine or when it is desired to go around a relatively sharp curve of the work, the arrangement is such that upon the depression of a suitable treadle rod 170', power willbe supplied from a power shaft, not shown, through a slow speed driven pulley 172 and so that u on further depression of the treadle rod 1 0, power will be supplied through a smaller and therefore higher speed driven pulley 174,

the slower speed pulley 172 being then allowed to slip or overrun with respect to the rest of the mechanism as is described more fully in my divisional application to which reference has been made above.

When the character of the work is such that it may be spread out in a perfectly fiat position, as for example with inclosed uppers, then it is usually more convenientto utilize a large work supporting table such as that indicated by 250 (Fig. 7) the table 250 being supported upon segmental brackets 252 formed upon a block 254 which is secured to the frame of the machine by bolts 256 as in the patented construction to which reference has already been made. In this case, it will usually be convenient to provide for the use of a longer strip 255 of the copper backing material, which strip may be carried upon reels 256 and 258, the first of these reels being supported upon a bracket 260 secured to the frame of the machine. The use of a reeled strip of copper backing material facilitates shifting the strip and is somewhat more economical. This copper strip 255 is preferably gripped in fixed position above the anvil of the machine by means of an arrangement, similar to that shown in Fig. 3, embodying depending plates 262 which slidably engage in grooves in the rectangular bar 104. These plates are part of a block having a groove to receive the strip and having overhanging flanges 264 which are cut away on opposite sides of the strip as at 266 to allow the free adjustment of the edge gage 34. A bell crank lever 267 is pivotally mounted upon the bar 104 and connected at its upper end to the side plates 262 of the strip clamping device. This lever is provided with a finger piece 269 normally actuated toward the rear of the machine by means of a spring 150 to hold the flanges 264 in gripping engagement withthe edges of the copper backing strip.

When, because of the insertion of a new punch 20 of diflerent design or because at the end of the day, the copper backing strip has become defaced, it becomes necessary to move the strip along, the operator will pull forward upon the finger piece 269, thereby releasing the clamping flanges 264 and allowing the strip to be moved along, just enough to present a new punching surface by actuation of one or the other of the reels 256 or 258.

In the modified machine illustrated in Fig. 7 there is shown a presser member 270 which is supported upon the block 78 carried at the lower end of the presser foot bar 72, provision being made by means of the tongue and grooved arrangement 82 and a clamp screw 88 for adjusting this presser foot transversely of the line of feed. Held upon the block 78 with the presser foot 270 is a rearwardly extending rod 27 2 upon which is supported an auxiliary presser foot 274 for engagement with the work directly in the line of feed just beyond the rear-most position of the punch in its feeding movement. This is useful for stripping the work from the punch when the feed movement is long. With some sorts of work it will facilitate the operation of the machine to provide for the raisin of the auxiliary presser foot 274 to facilitate the insertion of a piece of work, and to this end this presser foot is wrapped around the rod 272 and held within 'a recess in a split clamping block 276. This split block is adjustably positioned upon the rod 272 and is slotted at its forward edge'to receive an outwardly extending finger piece 278 upon the presser foot, WhlCll finger piece is normally urged upwardly to hold the presser foot against the work by means of a spring 280 but which may readily be depressed manually to raise the presser foot 27 4.

Thus, in the operation of the machine, as suming that the proper perforating punch 20 has already been mounted in the punch bar 18, the operator will swing the desired gage arm 34 or 36 into position above the work support and will adjust said gage arm laterally by releasing the clamp screw 46 and operating the hand screw 48. It will be assumed thata copper backing strip 132 has already been inserted by manipulation of the finger piece 148 so that a fresh surface is provided for the operation of the punch. The work may then be inserted in position against the gaging surface and,.in order to facilitate this operation, the presser-foot may be lifted by means of a suitable treadle connected to the lever 74. The operator will then depress the treadle connected to the treadle rod 170 to throw in the pin clutch and start the machine operating at the speed of the slower driven pulley 17 2. If the edge being perforated is relatively straight, he will continue the depression of the pulley and cause the interengagement of the highspeed drive of the pulley 17 at with the drive shaft, thereby to increase the speed of the machine. If conditions require it, the pres: sure upon the control treadle may be partially released to reduce the speed of the machine without interfering with its progressive operation. When the operator desires to stop the machine, the pressure upon the control treadle will be entirely released, whereupon the machine will be stopped in a predetermined position with respect to its cycle of operation.

Having thus descrlbed this invention, what I I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a perforating machine, a work supporting anvil, a punch, means for 'movin said punch toward and away from the anvi to perforate the work, means for moving said punch over the anvil to feed the work, a nar row backing strip of thin metal overlying said anvil arranged to receive the cutting edge of the punch and for movement with respect to the anvil at rare intervals to provide a fresh punching surface when, after a" considerable interval of time, the surface of metal strip has been defaced by the punch to a sufficient extent so that a satisfactory cutting operation may no longer be had, a clamp for holding said strip on the anvil provided with flanges overhanging the lateral edges of the strip alongside the line of feed, and manual means for releasing said clamp when it is desired to move the backing strip to another position.

2. In a perforating machine, a punch, a work support, said punch and work support being relatively movable toward and away from each other to perforate the work, means for imparting horizontal work feeding movements to the punch, an anvil, a narrow strip of soft metal super-posed on said anvil extending in the direction of feeding movement of the punch and means for clamping said metal strip in position upon the anvil, comprising a member provided with a groove to receive said strip and flanges-overhanging the lateral edges of the strip, said member being vertically 'slida-ble with respect to said anvil to release or to clamp the strip and means for holding said member in strip clamping position.

3. In a perforating machine, a punch having a four-motion feed whereby it intermittently perforates the work and carries it forward, an anvil for supporting the work, means for clamping a thin copper backing strip upon the anvil comprising a member provided with flanges overhanging the lateral edges of the strip, said member being slidably mounted vertically with respect to the anvil to release or to clamp the strip and means for resiliently moving said member with respect to the anvil in a direction to clam]; the copper backing strip.

4. n a per orating machine, a punch, a work support, said punch and work support being relatively movable toward and away from each other to perforate the work, means for imparting horizontal work feeding movements to the punch, an anvil, means associated with said anvil having a groove extending in the direction of feeding movement and overhanging flanges adjacent to said groove to cooperate with the anvil in retaining a soft metal backing strip, an edge gage mounted for adjustment transversely of the line of feed, said grooved means being provided with another groove extending substantially at right angles to the line of feed to receive the work contacting end of the edge gage.

5. In a perforating machine, a punch, a work support, said punch and work support being relatively movable toward and away from each other to perforate the work, means for imparting horizontal work feeding movements to the punch, an anvil, means associated with said anvil having a groove extending in the direction of feeding movement and overhanging flanges adjacent to said groove to cooperate with the anvil in retaining in position a soft metal backing strip, an edge gage mounted for adjustment transversely of the line of feed provided with a narrow work contacting tip, said grooved means being provided with another groove extending substantially at right angles to the line of feed to receive the work contacting end of the edge gage, the latter groove having its bottom surface substantially on a level with the top surface of the backing strip whereby the work gage may be readily adjusted to positions overlying the backing strip.

6. In a perforating machine, a punch, a work support, said punch and work support being relatively movable toward and away from each other to perforate the work, means for imparting horizontal work feeding movements to the punch, said work support being provided with a narrow renewable punchreceiving strip. gages disposed upon opposite sides of the line of feed arranged to be brought alternately into use to guide the work from either the right or the left edge thereof, said work support being provided with grooves extending outwardly from the line of feed to receive the work-guiding ends of said gages, said grooves having their bottom surfaces disposed upon the level of the upper surface of the punch-receiving strip.

7. In a step-by-step perforating machine, a punch, a work support, said punch and work support being relatively movable toward and away from each other to perforate the work, means for imparting horizontal work feeding movement to the punch, a narrow ribbon of soft metal being interposed between said work support and a piece of work to receive the cutting edge of the punch, and releasable means for clamping said ribbon to prevent displacement thereof during the operation of the machine While allowing replacement of the operative portion of the ribbon at the Will of the operator.

8. In a perforating machine, a work supporting anvil, a punch, means for imparting progressive feeding movements to the work, a backing strip of thin, soft metal overlying the support arranged to receive the cutting edge of the punch, and a releasable member for clamping the strip to the support to prevent displacement of the strip during the operation of the machine while allowing the strip to be released at the will of the operator.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

PERLEY R. GLASS. 

